They can throw the rock but do they know the game?

I've been at the Brier the last few days. The top teams are really good, but yesterday and today Pat Simmons's rink from Saskatchewan showed some strategic shortcomings that led to their downfall.

Yesterday in the 1-2 playoff game - the winner to advance to the finals, with the loser to today's semi-final - they called the wrong strategy in each of the last three ends. First, in the 8th, they tried to draw with their last stone rather than take out the Alberta rocks that were sitting pretty close together in the back of the house. If those rocks are removed - or even pushed back so that the Sask rocks in the top of the house out count them, then Alberta can't get more than one point (Alberta had last rock then, and when the other team has last rock, your strategy is to limit them to one point).

Sask makes an error on the draw, and Alberta manages to gets two points that they had no business getting.

In the 9th, there are two Alberta rocks in the house (as well as two Sask rocks), and an Alberta guard rock in front of the house. Strategically, the most dangerous rock is the guard, as it can protect a rock later in the end, limiting what the opposing team can do. Instead of removing the guard, Sask eliminates the rocks in the house with a nice double take out.

However, later in the end Alberta gets a rock behind the cover of that guard, and it leads to back and forth draws, and then a steal of 1 by Alberta to tie the game.

Then in the 10th end, rather than keeping a clean sheet, which would be a good strategy if you only need 1 point and have last rock, they leave a number of rocks in play. Nevertheless, they have the opportunity to hit and stick for a single point and the win. However, their last rock picks on something on the ice and sails past Alberta's shot rock, failing to remove it, so Alberta counts 1 and wins the game.

The Saskatchewan rink was up 6-3 after 5 ends of a 10 end game, and should have come out on top. But they were outscored 5-1 the rest of the way, and lost 8-7, despite having last rock for most of the second half of the game.

Then today Sask is playing Ontario in the semi-final game. Again in the 10th end down one point, when they need to score 1 to tie and 2 to win, Sask allow a number of rocks to be in play and it's only with a great shot on their last throw that they get the necessary point to force an extra end.

In that end, Ontario plays a more conventional, lower risk strategy, by keeping the house pretty clean of rocks (e.g., hitting guards rocks in front of the house), and with their last rock they make an easy draw into the house for a point and the win.

And Saskatchewan goes home. Hopefully, they'll realize what they did wrong, and get it right next time. But they've been here before, more than once in fact, and usually there's only so many opportunities to get a break through victory.

Sadly, Saskatchewan didn't get one this year.